Æthereal Travel Formula
E/F/M:
Æthereal Travel enables its target to enter the named plane and thus travel virtually anywhere in æthereal, non-material form.
The non-corporeal form of the individual is a Non-Physical (NPM) one, and in no case, can it Influence Physical objects. Anything on another plane or sphere seen from the Æthereal Plane will have an insubstantial, filmy quality to it, as if the viewer were looking through a not-quite-transparent veil (cut vision in half). However, the caster is able to roam anywhere in the Material and Mundane Planes and Spheres of the universe particular to the caster. The caster can also opt to travel to Supernatural or Entital Planes and Spheres. Such travellers are not, as is an astral body, attached to their material body by a cord-like energy flow of silvery color. If material form is assumed, then the Casting terminates at that moment.
| Travel Situation* | Base DR |
|---|---|
| Remaining on the Mundane while travelllng in the Æthereal | Easy |
| Another plane or sphere of the same type, such as from one Preternatural Sphere to another (Air to Positive or Air to Mundane for example). Also from one tier or Sphere of a Supernatural Plane to another (such as from the 6th to 7th Netherhell). From and non-Preternatural Plane to Æthereal | Moderate |
| One Plane removed. To a Preternatural Plane from the Material (Sphere of Ærth to Sphere of Air, for example), or from Preternatural Plane to the Supernatural, etc. | Hard |
| To a Plane two "rings" removed. To a Supernatural Plane from the Material, or to an Entital Plane from the Preternatural. | Difficult |
| Subject to a "storm" on the Astral Plane or the Æthereal sphere.** | Very Difficult |
*See page 21 for a map and description of the multiverse layout.
**"Storm" refers to being subject to the Astral Storm or Æthereal Wind, or some similar hazard. The listed roll must be made immediately: Failure to do so means such travellers are either cast from the Æthereal Plane to their point of origination, taking 4D6 points of Mental damage and remaining in a coma for 1D6 days after returning to Physical form, or they are blown randomly to another place, taking 2D6 Mental damage, and when they arrive they will be in Full Physical Manifestation (as appropriate to the place) and unable to utilize any Heka for 1 hour/point of Mental damage sustained. The GM may determine destination by a 1D20 roll:
| Roll | Destination |
|---|---|
| 1 | Astral |
| 2 | Concordelysian |
| 3 | Temporal |
| 4 | Pan Probable |
| 5 | Empyreal |
| 6 | Celestial |
| 7 | Positive |
| 8 | Air |
| 9 | Fire |
| 10-12 | Æthereal |
| 13 | Water |
| 14 | Ærth |
| 15 | Shadow |
| 16 | Negative |
| 17 | Entropical |
| 18 | Nether |
| 19 | Pandemonium |
| 20 | Abyssal (shudder!) |
Once Astrally Projected, the rates of travel per hour are as follows:
| Location | Speed |
|---|---|
| Within the Material Plane | 1,200 mph |
| In the Preternatural/Supernatural Planes/Spheres | 12,000 mph |
| In space between worlds or spheres on any plane; Anywhere in the Entital Planes | 1,200,000,000 mph |
Naturally, one can move at any speed slower than the maximums given, moving or remaining still as desired.
Note that this is a highly perilous state in which to be if enemies are prepared for an Æthereal visit—i.e., there are evil spirits nearby, and/or magickal traps are laid for spirits in the area. The Æthereal form is essentially a standard NPM subject to normal Mental and/or Spiritual attack and damage. Chances of meeting a hostile being in the Æther are about 1 in 100 per hour of travel.
If attacked, the practitioner can try to flee or battle the foe. If the attacker chooses to pursue (which it usually will) the practitioner can escape by beating it in a contest of MR CATEGORIES (good luck). Such creatures can be Mentally and/or Spiritually attacked and will retreat if they suffer damage which equals or exceeds their EL. Navigating in Æthereal form is, for the most part, done instinctively. By concentrating on a particular individual or place the persona will naturally tend to glide towards it. As with other Non-Physical Manifestation spirits, practitioners in this state are invisible to all except other non-corporeal spirits (or those personas with certain Powers or Heka Castings) and totally insubstantial in mundane terms. A persona with the Casting or Power of Hyperæsthesia (q.v.) however, might be able to sense the presence of an Æthereal form, and various forms of magick can enable sighting, sensing, or trapping of such spirits. Otherwise, the Æthereally travelling body can walk through walls, sink into rock. etc.
Note that it is possible to cross very large distances in a plane by traveling through the Æthereal for a ways and then switching back to the Material Plane. One mile in the Æthereal Plane is equivalent to 10 in the Material, Preternatural, or Supernatural (in space or on spheres). For example, a practitioner who wished to go from Point A to Point B some 820 miles away could project into the Æthereal Plane, travel 82 miles, then switch back and be there. However, it can be very difficult to navigate while so doing (the persona might inadvertently wind up in Point C or Point D miles removed from the desired Point B!), and so this technique is mainly reserved for getting "most of the way there" on long journeys and circumventing hazards of travel in other planes.
Obviously, Æthereal Travel is a useful means of covering great distances to discover information, and in many cases the practitioner will be invisible to those under observation. It might also be a means of communication between far-removed parties who wish to exchange information but because of possible eavesdropping or interception of messages, do so in this manner. The latter can offer near-foolproof secrecy if one persona can detect the projected individual or both parties are Æthereal.